The Pasig City local government started on Friday the training of its healthcare workforce to respond more effectively to the threat of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).
In his Facebook post, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto shared a photo of the meeting among the City Health Department (CHD), Better Health Program Philippines (BHP) of the British Embassy, and the Institute for Studies in Diabetes Foundation Inc. (ISDFI).
"The prevalence rate of GDM is as high as 30 percent. We want our healthcare professionals to be well-equipped in handling this disease," Sotto said.
According to him, the training is the first integration of two of the local government unit's (LGU's) health programs under its Health Dept – the Maternal Care Program and the Non-Communicable Disease Program.
GDM is a condition in which a hormone made by the placenta prevents the body from using insulin effectively. Glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by other hormones produced during pregnancy that can make insulin less effective, a condition referred to as insulin resistance.